


Flashy

by AlchemyAssist



Category: Free!
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Fashion & Models, Alternate Universe - Never Met, College, Dork Rei, Falling In Love, Friends to Lovers, Friendship/Love, Haru also does art, Haru being Haru, How Do I Tag, Kinda, M/M, Makoto is a bio major :D, Makoto is a scaredy-cat, Makoto is bashful as always, Male Slash, Modeling, Nagisa is a Little Shit, Photography, Rei being Rei, SNK Crossover, Sasabe owns a studio x3, Slash, University, but i love him anyways wait till you see him xD, characters from other fandoms will make appearances, designer!Rin, he is forever an angel, he likes melon milk x3, idk how to tag this, idol!Gou(Kou!), model!Makoto, photographer!Haru, rei gets embarrassed a lot, rin is a pushy little bastard, sousuke is a stuck-up s.o.b. in this
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-08-21
Updated: 2015-09-12
Packaged: 2018-04-16 10:32:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,943
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4622010
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlchemyAssist/pseuds/AlchemyAssist
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Quite by chance, university student Makoto ends up meeting some of his classmate's friends, and one of them has an intriguing opportunity for the shy biology major.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Proposal

**Author's Note:**

  * For [lordzuuko](https://archiveofourown.org/users/lordzuuko/gifts).



> quick note: ugh, sry if this is rough, I'm rly tired rn but i need to post it so i don't loose all the notes & stuff i wrote for it here, so i'll edit it tomorrow when my brain is more alive TT
> 
> omg my titles suck TT Anyways, here's a present for the amazing lordzuuko!! They were the first artist I followed on DA, so many years ago, and I still keep up with their work now ^^ So, they drew this amazing pic (http://lordzuuko.tumblr.com/tagged/because-i-can-imagine-Haru-being-forceful-like-he-wants-Makoto-to-just-say-yes)along with a request, & how could I turn down one of my favorite artists (especially when writing is the only thing i can do TT)? Anyways, here's just the first chapter of a now-huge universe that I have devised, and I hope you enjoy this series! ^^

Makoto yawned, his jaw stretching out, white teeth flashing in the fluorescent lights of the lecture hall. He would give anything for a nice cup of coffee right now. With midterms coming up, he had been cramming like crazy, staying up late into the night, trying to absorb the information from his textbooks like a sponge. Except that his sponge couldn’t hold onto anything for longer than a week. He huffed out a deep breath as he placed his chin back onto his hand, propping up his head so that maybe, _maybe_ he wouldn’t almost fall asleep again. Maybe.

“Makoto-senpai, are you alright?” Ryuugazaki inquired from the desk next to him. Makoto looked over at Rei, who was gazing at his senior with concern in his violet eyes. Makoto was a little surprised. Usually Rei never turned his attention away from the professor during lectures. The concern in his lab partner’s face though was both touching and embarrassing. Makoto gave him a small smile.

“I’m perfectly fine, Rei. Just another late night,” he assured his kouhai. Rei nodded sagely, understanding all too well the struggle of trying to balance sleep with studies. He often had dark circles under his eyes from such nights. Though strangely enough, Makoto thought that the tired look only added to Rei’s attractiveness. Well, not that he was really _looking_ at Rei. He didn’t seem to be one for romance, in Makoto’s opinion.

“Alright. Just don’t overwork yourself, senpai,” he replied, turning back to the lesson. Luckily the lecture hall was large enough for low conversations to go unnoticed by the professor. Makoto’s lip twitched as he tried to hold in a large grin that was threatening to surface. On the topic of overworking oneself, Ryuugazaki Rei had absolutely no room to talk.

Makoto’s thoughts were interrupted as he yawned again, trying to focus on what his professor was saying. He really should be paying attention, this close to the test... As the minutes slowly ticked by, Makoto felt his vision blurring. His head kept bobbing forward against his will. He adjusted his black-framed glasses, not for the first time that class, and pinched his arm. Why did he have to be so _tired?_ Maybe he _should_ have gotten coffee before class… When he blinked, he could feel his eyes slipping closed for longer amounts of time. Finally, about halfway through the never-ending lecture, Makoto’s eyes slid closed, and he found that he didn’t have the strength nor the will to open them again.

 

 

“-senpai! Makoto-senpai!”

Someone was shaking him awake. Makoto let out a groan and shifted his arm off of his head, blearily looking up at whoever was disturbing his nap. He blinked slowly as his vision cleared. A disarrayed indigo mop of hair and crystal violet eyes framed by red glasses was the sight that greeted him.

“Rei?” His voice was slightly hoarse as he struggled to sit up. He saw some people leaving the hall, most students already having vacated it, and he straightened up suddenly, awareness dawning on him. “Oh no! No, no, no! I fell asleep, didn’t I?!” he wailed, head thrown back and eyes squeezed shut. “He was going over the midterm topics today too! Oh God, Rei, what do I do? What do I do?!” Makoto was nearly yelling in his panicked state.

“Calm down, Makoto-senpai!” Rei raised his hands up, eyes widened in alarm. “I’ll lend you my notes for the day, if you want.”

“Really?” Makoto blinked up at Rei, his face somewhat frozen in shock.

“Of course. I do need to study them tonight, but you can copy the parts you missed,” Rei pushed his glasses up, even though they were sitting in the exact same place that they had been at the start of the lecture.

“Oh my God, Rei, that would be amazing! Thank you so much!!” Relief washed through him in what felt like a tidal wave; he was very-nearly dizzy with it. Rei handed the notebook to Makoto and put his vast array of pens back into his bag. Makoto felt like glomping Rei like the girls always do in shoujo manga, but he held himself back, delicately placing his friend’s notes in his school bag. “I’ll never forget this! You’re the best, Rei!” He grinned almost maniacally.

“It’s no problem, senpai.” Rei pulled his bright green backpack over his shoulders and carefully buckled the straps across his chest. “Anyways, I have another lecture to attend. Until then,” Rei bid him farewell, heading out of the class. Makoto stared after him for a moment. Rei always seemed to move with such grace and elegance; it was truly a sight to behold. Makoto shook his head, proceeding to stuff his pencils and notebook into his messenger bag. No, he most definitely was _not_ developing a crush on Rei. It didn’t hurt to admire his cool and collected junior though, did it? He was always so suave and self-confident, especially in the lab…

Makoto abruptly stood up, unintentionally banging his knee on the desk that he had left hanging out.

“Ow! Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow…” he whimpered, this time properly folding the small table back into the chair’s side so that he could escape from the cramped space. Face red with embarrassment and praying that nobody just saw that, Makoto limped out of the building. He glanced down at his watch and refrained from cursing. His little afternoon snooze was going to make him late for his genetics class. He practically had to run across the large campus to make it to his class in time, barely waltzing in the door before the professor began speaking.  Maybe he could find some time between his other classes to copy down the notes.

 

 

After two more lectures and a lab, Makoto was about ready to pass out (again). But somehow, he had managed to get through the day. Maybe the guilt of falling asleep during his first class had spurred him into staying awake. Luckily for him, Makoto had had enough time to copy down Rei’s notes between his classes. If he had needed to spend another forty minutes copying down the notes, he was sure that he wouldn’t be able to make Rei’s deadline of nine o’clock tonight. Makoto swore that Rei functioned like a well-oiled clock. He kept up a constant routine, the only variation being which classes he attended on a particular day.

Makoto let out a groan as he walked across the dark campus. It was only lit mediocrely by a few scattered streetlamps. Makoto didn’t think that it was the safest late at night, but he supposed it was better than nothing. He would have to make his way back alone across the desolate school grounds to his apartment, which was naturally on the opposite side of campus. Makoto pulled his phone out of his pocket, stopping by one of the street lights. It was a little after eight.

 _Hey, Rei! You’re still in the library right? I just got out of a lab, so I’m on my way,_ he texted. It was a few moments before his phone buzzed in reply.

_Yes, I’m still here, Makoto-senpai. I’m on the second floor._

_Okay, I’ll see you in a few minutes!_

Makoto sighed in relief. At least he didn’t have to worry about missing the deadline and earning Rei’s annoyance. He continued to walk on, the silence of the night beginning to unnerve him. The only sound in the dark night was that of his footsteps on the pavement, and his increasingly heavy breathing. His university’s campus was covered in trees and shrubs and any assortment plant-life. Makoto warily glanced around him as he pressed on. There could be anything lurking is those hulking shadows…

Makoto yelped when he heard a branch crack and broke into a run, pushing himself as fast as his long legs could carry him. _Please, leave me alone, whatever you are!_ He continued sprinting until he had broken through the trees and was able to see the bright lights coming from the library and the several stores and buildings that surrounded it. Though the yellow light seemed harsh in the darkness, the sight was comforting to Makoto. Glancing once more behind him to make sure that nothing was following him, Makoto made his way to the small cluster of buildings and stepped inside the largest.

Once inside, he made his way over to the elevator and pressed the button. The first floor of the library on campus was more like a common room, filled with computers and tables, and there was even a small coffee shop inside toward the back. There were some people lounging around, but it wasn’t crowded. Makoto let the dull murmur of voices wash over him as he waited for the elevator to come down. He closed his eyes and tried not to think. Today had been exhausting enough. He didn’t think he would be able to get any work done once he got home. Maybe he should just sleep when he got back to his apartment…

The elevator pinged, startling Makoto out of his thoughts. He opened his eyes and moved out of the way to let a stressed-looking girl pass by. Since there were no one else was waiting there, Makoto took his time shuffling into the small space. He pressed the button for the second floor, observing that places like this weren’t really designed for someone of his stature. He looked up. The top of the compartment was only about a foot and a half from his head.

After the elevator stopped, its doors seeming to take forever to open, Makoto noticed several things. One: that the library was more crowded at this time of night than he had originally thought, and two: that Ryuugazaki Rei had some really boisterous friends.

Well, one in particular. Through the glass doors that separated the elevator’s hallway and the main floor, Makoto could see a small blond head bouncing around the three other people at his table. He lingered more at Rei’s side than the other two men’s, and from the way his mouth was moving, Makoto assumed that he was speaking very quickly and very loudly. Rei looked up at the short boy and said a few words. Makoto thought that he was probably telling him to be quiet, they were in a library, one doesn’t yell in libraries… Makoto shook his head, walking toward the doors. Sometimes he felt like he could tell what Rei was thinking, even though they had only known each other for the semester. But Makoto had often been rather sensitive to the thoughts of those around him.

Makoto entered the room, the blond still bounced around, completely ignoring Rei’s scolding. The other two with them didn’t really seem to care, both the redhead and the dark-haired man staring at some thin textbooks splayed out in front of them. When he was still several meters away, Makoto paused. How should he approach Ryuugazaki? He had never imagined that he would study with a group, let alone with someone who babbled as much as the blond did. Should he just walk up to him? He took a few steps forward.

“Um, Rei?” he asked tentatively. Rei glanced up from the textbook he had turned his attention to.

“Ah, Makoto-senpai! Thank you for bringing it all the way back here.” He adjusted his glasses, thought they sat at just the right angle on his nose.

“Oh, it’s no problem! Thank you for letting me borrow your notes! It won’t happen again, I promise!” Makoto smiled shyly at Rei. He quickly slung off his backpack and pulled out Rei’s notebook, handing it to the bespectacled man who took it without a word.

“Rei-chan! Who’s this?” The blond boy from before hopped over to Rei’s side of the table and gazed at Makoto with such earnest curiosity that it made the biology major blush profusely. Makoto, not quite knowing where to look, shifted his gaze around the table. The red-haired man had looked up at Rei’s voice and met Makoto’s eye. Still blushing, Makoto turned his face back toward Rei.

“He’s my senpai from chemistry,” Rei looked up and behind him at the blond. The blond’s mouth popped open into a small ‘o’ in understanding, and his expression quickly turned into a wide grin. He bounded up toward Makoto and held out a friendly hand.

“Hi! I’m Hazuki Nagisa! I’m Rei’s bo—roommate! But Nagisa’s fine!” He stuttered slightly. Out of consideration, Makoto pretended he didn’t hear the lapse in Nagisa’s speech. So Rei had a boyfriend, did he? It was strange. Nagisa seemed to be Rei’s polar opposite. How did that happen?

“H-hello!” Makoto quickly took his hand. It was surprisingly strong for how small his build was. “I’m Tachibana Makoto. You can just call me Makoto if you want, though,” he gave a small smile.

“Nice to meet you, Mako-chan!”

“Mako-chan?” he muttered incredulously.

“Ah, sorry, senpai, don’t mind him. He gives everyone nicknames,” Rei glanced at Makoto again.

“Oh…” Makoto turned to the other two men at the table as Rei turned back to his textbook and Nagisa turned back to Rei. The redhead was still staring at Makoto and was starting to make him a little uncomfortable if he was honest, even _if_ his red, glittering eyes were beginning to captivate him. “Um…” he started.

The redhead suddenly nudged the black-haired man next to him. “Oi, Haru!”

The black-haired man looked up in surprise. He didn’t even seem to realize that Makoto was there. He looked at the red-haired man beside him and then up at Makoto. Though he only flinched fractionally, Makoto thought he had done a double-take. Two pairs of eyes, crisp red and cool blue, penetrated Makoto’s soft, forest-green eyes. They both stared at him for a few moments longer. Makoto was starting to feel awkward and shifted his weight to one foot. Did he have something on his face?

“Uh, nice to meet you,” he extended his hand again toward the two men, his mouth wavering between a smile and a chagrined grimace. The redhead reached for his hand while the blue-eyed man just looked at him.

“Hi, I’m Rin, and this is Haru,” he gestured backward with a thumb at his companion. Rin was grinning up at Makoto while Haru continued watching him, expression deadpanned.

“Um,” Makoto began again, about ready to excuse himself. It was approaching nine and he needed to start the trek home. And the pair sitting opposite of Ryuugazaki was really starting to freak him out.

“Hey, uh, Makoto, was it?” Rin queried.

“Yes?” He raised his eyebrows questioningly. He noticed Rin give a quick, sideways glance at Haru before he focused on Makoto again.

“Have you ever thought about participating in a rendering?” Rin asked.

“What? What are you talking about?” Makoto was definitely confused now.

“Well, bluntly speaking, you’re perfect. You have to be my model!”

“W—what?!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I have some ideas, but I'm still not sure where I want the plot to go (lordzuzu, let me know if you have any desires x3). The next few chapters I have planned out, but after that... ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯ We'll see x3 I've mostly been working on the universe rather than the plot xD That's always my problem when writing x3 Anyways, thanks again for reading! ^^ Hope you liked it! And I hope I didn't rush this first chapter too much. Sometimes I really don't like doing set up and I just want to get on to the main character interactions, and this was one of those times, unfortunately. But for those of you who have read my series Where the Waves Break, you can tell that I was in a mood for a lot of set up xD There's /still/ more set up I need to do for that! xD Anyways, this series...yeah, I might edit this chapter and add some more, but I needed to get this up before lordzuuko thought I forgot about them TT


	2. Opportunity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Makoto gets an opportunity from one of Rei's friends, but it seems a little too intimate for someone he just met...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait! And for this being shorter than the first chapter TT My pc's been on the fritz lately, so I've had to do my writing on my phone (it is //not// easy TT) and uni started a couple weeks ago, so you know how that is TT I can't tell how long the chapters are on my phone now, I hate not having an idea of how long they are! TT Also, writing on my phone feels so different! I feel like my style isn't the same TT typing on a pc is so much easier and better TT

“You’re perfect! You have to be my model!” Rin exclaimed triumphantly.

"Uh,” Makoto blinked in shock, blood rushing to his cheeks. “Model for what, exactly?” he squeaked, taking a step backward.

“Oh, I guess I didn’t explain at all, did I? I’m a fashion design major. My usual guy bailed on me, so I’m looking for someone to model my clothes. And you’re absolutely perfect! You have to do it! Please, Makoto!” Rin stood up and approached Makoto, grasping his hands. A pleading look lit up his eyes.

“Umm…” Makoto retreated from Rin’s grip and took another step back. He rubbed a hand along the back of his neck, hoping his face wasn’t too red. “I’m a biology major. That’s not really my thing.” Rin took another step forward, grinning mischievously at Makoto.

“I’m sorry, love, but I don’t really care!”

"I don’t think I can do that, Rin.” Out of the corner of his eye, Makoto could see Rei and Nagisa watching the scene. That only made him even more nervous. And then there was Haru. He hadn’t even spoken a single word since Makoto had approached them. He was just sitting there, _staring_ at him. And his gaze was so _intense_. Makoto could physically feel Haru's stare like it was a weight pressing down on him. “I’m really sorry,” he apologized, turning his attention back to Rin.

“Please, Makoto!” Rin begged. “It won’t take up much of your time! I dorm here, so you wouldn’t have to go anywhere. And I—I could pay you, if you want! Or buy you coffee!” The longer Makoto just looked at the redhead, the more Rin seemed to panic. Did he need him that badly? “I _really_ need someone! Just for my midterm, _please?!_ ”

"...Well..." Makoto knew he was about to give in. Rin's expression was becoming more and more tortured as he waited for a reply, and Makoto just couldn't help it. It was practically a part of his genetic makeup: if someone was in need, no matter if they were a stranger or his best friend of ten years, he would help. That was just the kind of person he was, he guessed.

"If it won't take up too much time, I guess it's alright." Makoto gave Rin a tentative smile.

"Makoto, you're the best!" Rin nearly shouted, flinging his arms around Makoto's neck.

"Eh! _Rin!_ " A bright red flush spread across Makoto's face at the unexpected contact. And from a complete stranger no less. "What are you doing?" Rin's thin, yet sinewy arms simply tightened their hold.

"Thank you so much, Makoto! You just saved me!"

"Haha...geez, if you were really that desperate-"

"You really have no idea how much this means to me, Makoto. Thank you so much!"

"Eh, you're welcome, but do you think you could let go? You're starting to strangle me," Makoto wheezed. 

"Oh! Sorry, love!" Rin jumped back, releasing his grip on Makoto. "I guess I got a little carried away there." Rin chuckled as he scratched the back of his head, a slight blush reddening his cheeks.

"It's okay," Makoto choked out, trying to get back some of the oxygen he had lost. Rin was still grinning at him like a maniac, which only added to Makoto's first impression that Rin was a very enthusiastic, if not eccentric person. He didn't quite know yet what to think of Haru. Makoto turned his gaze upon him. When he met Haru's focused blue eyes, Haru seemed to flinch again, but he continued staring silently. Makoto thought he saw a flash of something in his eyes. Or maybe it was just a trick of the light.

"Oh, Mako-chan's doing some modeling for Rin-chan?!" Nagisa belted out in his high, clear voice. 

"Nagisa, I told you that you need to be quiet in here," Rei's voice sounded slightly strained, like he had told this to his boyfriend far too many times. He looked around anxiously, hoping nobody was getting angry with Nagisa's continuous outbursts.

"But this is so exciting, Rei-chan! Rin-chan almost _never_ switches models! And besides, this is the floor we're allowed to talk in so it's fine!"

"Still-"

"So, Rin-chan, is this going to be on the runway or a live-posing?!"

"What?!" If Makoto had been drinking something, said drink would have sprayed out of his mouth. " _Runway?_ I didn't agree to-"

"Makoto, it's okay! Don't worry!" Rin placed his hand on a panicking Makoto's shoulder. Makoto could even feel himself shaking. A runway? He didn't- He couldn't- Modeling in front of so many people?! That was impossible! Why-

"Oi, Makoto!" Rin pulled up his chin and forced Makoto to look him in the eye. 

"Rin," Makoto felt his mouth going dry. "I can't do that in front of so many people! I-"

"Makoto! Love, it's fine!" Rin attempted to calm him down, expression worried. "I wouldn't ask you to do something like that! It's just some photos! Not even a live-posing. Okay?" Makoto stared at Rin with wide eyes. Just photos? He could do that. Right? It would be okay... He took in a breath.

"O-okay..." he exhaled. Rin sighed in relief, grin returning to his face. 

"Geez, you looked like you were about to have a panic attack!" he chuckled. Makoto uncharacteristically turned his head away.

"You did exhibit the symptoms of one, from what I saw," Rei murmured, placing a hand to his chin.

"Is Mako-chan alright?" Nagisa cooed, looking between Rei and Makoto.

"I'm fine!" Makoto nearly shouted. Everyone at the table jumped. In the few minutes they had known Makoto (or few months, in Rei's case), he did not seem like one for yelling. Makoto cleared his throat, eyes wide and cheeks going red as he realized that every pair of eyes in the library was on him. "A-anyways..." he rubbed his hand along the back of his neck in a nervous gesture. "I've got to go now. Rei has my number so just contact me whenever you want me to come over, Rin. It was nice to meet all of you!" Makoto squeaked and hurriedly made his egress, naturally tripping on the doorframe on his way out. Why did he always seem to be the one to get caught up in things like this?

 

Makoto sighed as he slammed the door behind him. He let his messenger bag fall off of his shoulder and he pressed his back up against his apartment's door, slowly sliding to the ground. He knocked his head back against the wood and propped his legs out in front of him, groaning.

Why was it always him? He had tripped three times trying to get out of the library, bumped into a girl, knocking both books and latte out of her hands, and when he was finally walking home, he could have sworn there was something else following him in the bushes. He cracked open an eye when he heard a soft tinkling and a quiet mewl coming toward him.

"Hi, Ika-chan." He stroked the small grey cat's fur. Ika-chan pushed her small head into Makoto's large hand and began to pur. "I'm sorry you have such a pathetic excuse for a person as your owner. You deserve someone less accident-prone," he murmured dejectedly, even though the cat's presence was already making him feel better. For some reason, cats just always seemed to soothe Makoto, no matter what kind of mood he was in. Ika continued purring like a motorboat as Makoto pet her, slowly forgetting about the day's troubles.

"I guess I did the right thing, helping that guy out," he murmured, half talking to his cat and half to himself. It helped him organize his thoughts. "He really seemed desperate, and I can spare the time for once, so it was the right thing to do. But why," he looked at Ika, who had turned her head to gaze up at her owner, "was that one guy just _staring_ at me? Haru, right? I mean, Rin was polite enough to speak to me at least, but Haru was just _staring_." Ika stood back up, though she wasn't much taller standing than she was sitting. She meowed and headed toward the bedroom, signaling that she was ready for them to sleep. Makoto chuckled, shaking his head.

"Alright, Ika- _hime_. I guess it's time for bed." Makoto stood up and shut off the light, making his way to his bedroom. He only stumbled once, stubbing his toe against the table. After restraining a curse, he limped off to bed, hoping that Ika would leave him at least some of the sheets tonight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I was going to have Mako start modeling in this chapter, but it would've made it too long and then I wanted to do a little scene with Makoto's cat ^^<3 so yeah x3 sorry if this is short, i honestly have no idea how long it is bco my phone TT Anyways, hope you liked it! Makoto will start modeling the next chapter and I'll try to update faster!^^ Hope you like it Zuzu! And thanks for all of the subscriptions, everyone!!^^


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